Flight attendant caught coronavirus in hotel quarantine as Queensland records zero new cases 

Queensland has recorded no new locally-acquired cases a day after a flight attended tested positive to coronavirus following her release from hotel quarantine.

Five overseas-acquired cases were recorded in hotel quarantine on Monday taking the state’s tally of active cases to 32.

Health officials have provided new details as to how the infected flight attendant unwittingly spread the virus in the Brisbane community on Saturday hours after being released from hotel quarantine at the Four Points Hotel.

The woman aged in her 30s acquired her infection from another cabin crew member also in quarantine at the Four Points Hotel after genomic sequencing of the two cases confirmed a match.

‘We’re working out how that transmission occurred,’ Queensland’s chief health officer Dr Jeanette Young told reporters on Monday.

‘There’s no doubt she has acquired it in the hotel or at some point when she’s coming to a contact with that person.’

The infected flight attendant visited the direct factory outlet shopping centre at Brisbane airport on Saturday before going into the Brisbane’s CBD and the suburb of Ellen Grove.

‘That person was not on that Emirates flight. They were on a totally different flight into Australia.

The infected flight attended has the Alpha strain of the virus, formerly known as the UK variant. 

‘It’s contagious but not as contagious as the Delta variant that we’re now seeing circulate through parts of Sydney. That is good news,’ Dr Young said.

Queensland is prepares to ease more restrictions on Friday with capacity at indoor venues is set to increase and limits on gatherings removed.